Two hundred and seventy-four units completed the Coast Guard’s FY21 Civil Rights Command Checklist, an annual self-assessment is an organizational requirement for locations with 50 or more positions. The result? 92% of the units were found to be aligned with Equal Employment Opportunity and Equal Opportunity principles of the Coast Guard.
Civil Rights tools like the command checklist strengthen the Service’s commitment to ensuring a respectful, diverse, and inclusive workforce that is free of discrimination. The checklist is distributed by local civil rights service providers.
The tool provides Commanding Officers and Officers in Charge (CO/OICs) with clear and concise requirements for implementation of their Civil Rights programs and ensuring unit compliance with EEO/EO and Civil Rights regulations laws, Executive Orders, and Commandant Instructions. When a CO/OIC completes the checklist, they answer multiple questions pertaining to performance, protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), informational postings and training requirements, general command support of EEO/EO, and more.
21 units reported one item out of compliance in FY21. No units reported more than one item as non-compliant. Accessibility-related elements are some of the most commonly reported non-compliant items, with seventeen units reporting challenges in this area. Accessibility refers to affording individuals with disabilities the same opportunity to access services, technology, or information similarly to a person without a disability in an equally effective manner. Other items reported included pending training fulfillment and completion of the annual Defense Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS).
If a unit has any trouble understanding or meeting the needs of certain items within the checklist, Civil Rights Service Providers are available throughout the year to offer assistance and help units achieve compliance. Implementation of the Command Checklist ensures the Coast Guard meets the elements of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Management Directive-715 (MD-715) which is used to establish and maintain effective programs of EEO.
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